St. Paul daily globe., 1887-03-14
Rev. Robert Forbes and Rev. DR.. Dana Pay
Tributes to the Late Henry
Ward Beecher.
Many Dakota Legislators on Their Way
Home From Bismarck Oongre-
gate in st. Paul.
Proposed improvements In the School
Houses of the City the Com
ing Season.
The Plaintiff in the Crisp p-Cowley
Breach Cf promise Case
Globules.
"GOD PITY THEM.
ReV. Robert Forbes Breathes That
Prayer for the Chicago PastOrs--
His Estimate OF Beccher.

keV. Robert FORBES Breathes hae
Prayer for the Chicago PastOrs--
His Estimate OF seccher.
The audience room of Jackson Street NJ.
E. church was filled to overhowing last
evening. large number besides the regular
Sunday night audience attended to hear the
pastor. Dr. Robert Forbes, preach on Henry
Ward Beccher He selected no text. but
said he proposed to devote half an hour to
considering the life of this great man. The
substance of his remarks is as follows!
Two weeks ago Beecher was in the pulpit;
now his dead body lies in Greenwood ceme-
tery. All such men are larger than the de-
nominations 10 which they belong. Perhaps
Beecher belonged to no denomination. have
in my pocket his reasons. very carefully
written for withdrawing from the orgaliza-
tion TO VIII ch he belonged. He sets forth his
faith and what he shows would not dsquaify
him from becC ming member OF the Mime.
sofa conference of the Methodist church.
believe he was rs near to the heart OF the ln-
finite Christ as any preacher of his time. l
must spend moment on that immortal oand
in Chicago who refused to send sympathetic
message to Mrs. Beecher. They gave two
reasons. One was the fear that they might IN
dorse Beecher'S views-it would be an i'm
proyement on their own views to indorSe
him. The other was that possibly he did not
succeed in clearing himself of the charge
against his character. God pity body or men
who follow q man TO the grave with charge
like that. If Col. Ingersol were dying-a
man for whose personal character I have the
greatest respect, but none for his theology
and you would vote tonight not to sympa-
thize with Mrs. Ingersoll, you would
HAVE MY RES IGNATION
tomorrow morning. Were l able l would
Day tribute to Beecher's purity OF charac-
GER in which have the most profound be-
ief He and Matthew Simpson of our own
church, were the greatest preachers of the
age. For forty years he stood in Ply
mouth church, while one generation passed
away and another came. Have you stopped
10 think of the preachers task, of what 1t is
10 look his audience in the face 100 times a
year? He was the champion of great re-
forms and he trampled on the restrictions of
the preacher. He believed minis
ter should first be man, and
that none of the man should
ashamed every time l buy haif-fare ticket.
believe it is certain percentage off OF a
man every time he does this. We all do it,
however. Laughter |. like the suggestion
that comes to us from his funeral, where
there was no Grape, but bouquet of flowers.
After presiding over the church for forty
years, it is, ut his death, decorated rs if for a
marriage. 'Tis well. 'Tis the correct view
of Immortality. Such a man is not to be
Judged by the ordinary standards. 1t is the
little fellows around them Outside the pulpit
Beecher did great work in this country and
in Europe. He dared have the courage Of his
convictions and was often on the unpopular
side. He was q leader among such men as
Phillips and Horace Greeley. He was
an optmist and believed in the ultimate
triumph of Christ In the worll. Beecher was
no theologian. He revolted against Calvanlsm
and | am glad OF it. CalvaniSm is the most
perfect system of theology in the world, but
it is not trne, for the system has to be SuS
tanned at any cost. We're | asked tonight
whether / believed that only a few would be
saved and the rest condemned eternally, or in
the broad Upiversalism, it would not take me
Il moment TO decide. This was Beecher' S
crime against theology. do not mean to in
dorse all of his views. Has it ever occurred
TO you that we MethOdiStS are the great lib
eral church of the world. Beechers erin e
was to come over onto Methodist ground. to
have preached Arminanism where Calvnism
had been taught. The theology to which all
churches must come is that Jesus Christ must
be our creed If you believe the book of
Matthew of Iseiah, that is not faith n.Chrlst
ibut faith Id Matthew or Isaiah. 1t is not
necessary TO eat
a DOCTORS PREs caIPTfoN
or thecotton sack in which the -four was
contained. had expected to read to you
some of Beecher's faith. but time forbids. In
all ages the outlines of theology have been in
the main correct, but as years pass by we
have n simpler theology. There is state of
mental petrifcation to which some people
come, so that they cannot change, cannot
learn a new truth We should pray God to
be saved from that, and be thankful that new
truths do come. The man who breaches the
old theology has vacant seats, but # man
preach the progressive theology the people
ale hungry TO hear him. The theology OF to-
day must deal with practical questions Of the
home and the fireside. He who succeeds as
AZ Il fn;tt
working. personal, sympathetic Christ is
preaching theology that the world needs,
and is most in harmony with the New Testa-
ment.